Planogimhi co



R. A. SIVARD.

GUITAR.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. n. 1918.

Patented Oct. 7, 1919.

ATTORNEY.

REUBEN A. SIVARD, OF

OKLAHOMA, OKLAHOMA, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF T0 EDWARD TAYLOR, OF OKLAHOMA, OKLAHOMA.

GUITAR.

Specification of Letters 2atent.

' Patented 0a. 7,1919.

Application filed March 11, 1918. Serial No. 221,698.

To all whom it may concern:

. Be it knownthat I, REUBEN A. SIVARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oklahoma city, in the countyof Oklahoma and State of Oklahoma, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Guitars, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawlngs.

. The invention pertains to improvements in stringed musical instruments, and more especially to those of the guitar or mandolin class. I

The object of the invention is to provide an instrument of this class on which harmon c chords may be more easlly fingered.

Figure l of the accompanying drawings,

is a plan view of the improved instrument.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged reproduction of an upper portion of Fig. 1, but showing the instrument strung single instead of double.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on' still larger scale, taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 shows a staff on which is indicated the tuning of the strings of the instrument.

Like characters of reference designate like parts in all the figures.

The instrument includes the body H, neck I, tuning-head J, tail-piece K, tuning-pins L, strings G, D, A, and E, bridge M, and nut O.

In construction, assemblage, and function, the parts thus described do not difi'er materially from those found in the common guitar, except that the strings are tuned dif- I ferently.

In carrying out the object stated, the

strings of the instrument are tuned in fifths, for example, to the pitches G, D, A, and E, like those of the violin or mandolin and as indicated in Fig. 4i; the strings being designated on the drawings by their pitch letters.

The instrument may be strung double like the common mandolin, as shown in Fig.

1, or single, as shown in Fig. 2.

Thefinger-board surface P of the neck I is provided with j frets, which are spaced chromatically from the nut O and numbered consecutively from 1 to 13.

It will'be noted that while the instrument is tuned in fifths, the vibrating portions of the open strings are not the same length.

r The bridge M, however, is the rear limit ofthe vibrating portion of all'strings, and the vibrating portion of the first or G string extends entirely to the nut O. I

The second or D string is permanently held down on the second fret 2 by a block Q which is inlaid in the finger-board surface P of the neck I as best shown in Fig. 3, so that the vibrating portion of said string is between saidfret 2 and the bridge M. The third or A string is likewise permanently held down on the fourth fret 4 by a block Q; and the fourth or E string is held down permanently on the sixth fret 6.

The D, A, and E strings pass loosely through the space R in the neck I under the blocks Q, so that they may be tuned and keptat proper pitch by the tuning-pins L.

With the strings tuned in fifths, and with the vibrating portions of the second, third,

and fourth strings permanently limited at and G which are used in the G chord in their order upward. In this chord, G and D are open strings and require no fingering; and with the fingers reaching across the fingerboard from the left the tone B is produced by bringing the A string down onto the sixth fret with the third finger, and the upper tone G by bringing the E string down onto the ninth fret with the first or index finger.

Again, take the tones C, G, C, and E which, in their order upward form a C chord which will harmonically follow the G chord. In this chord, the fundamental tone C is produced by bringing the G string down onto the fifth fret with the third finger; the

next tone G, by bringing the D string down leaving the D and A strings open and by bringing the E string down onto the eighth fret with the first finger.

The three chords named are fingered with the hand and fingers in an easy position, and it is found that none of the many chords used in different keys requires the fingers to be placed in an awkward or cramped position.

Having thus described the invention, I claim 1. A stringed instrument of the class described, having a bridge and nut and a finger-board provided with frets chromatically spaced from said nut, two strings supported by the bridge and nut, and means carried by the finger-board and holding one of the strings down permanently in contact with the second fret, the strings being tuned a fifth apart.

2. A stringed instrument of the class described, having a bridge and nut and a finger-board provided with frets chromatically spaced from said nut, three strings sup ported by the bridge and nut, means carried by the fingerboard and holding the second string permanently in contact with the second fret, and means carried by the fingerboard and holding the third string permanently in contact with the fourth fret, the strings being tuned a fifth apart.

3. A stringed instrument of the class described, having a bridge and nut and a fingerboard provided with frets chromatically spaced from said nut, four strings supported by the bridge and nut, means carried by the finger-board and holding the second string permanently in contact with the second fret, means carried by the finger-board and holding the third string in contact with the fourth fret, and means carried by the fingerboard and holding the fourth string in ermanent contact with the sixth fret, the our strings being tuned in consecutive intervals of a fifth.

4%. A stringed instrument of the class described, including a bridge, a nut, a fingerboard provided with frets, and a block permanently inlaid in the finger-board to hold a string down on one of the frets, there being a passage in the finger-board under said block through which the string may freely pass.

Vitness my hand this 22 day of REUBEN A. SIVARD.

- February, 1918.

GopieI of chi: patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

